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3-4 page CV?

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I'm getting feedback from agents that my CV doesn't provide enough detail and could I amend it to emphasise the points that their particular clients are looking for.

I always thought that a CV of more than 2 pages was a bad idea but apparently not, I'm thinking of extending my 'generic' CV to 3 pages, does anyone disagree with this?

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I've seen plenty of CVs in my time and most people waste a hell of a lot of space. One simple trick is to put your name and address crossways rather than line by line. And your name is less important than your skills so don't make your name huge!

Actually it depends. When I was doing independent contracting, I was told by a recruiter to create a detailed projects CV. This was a list of each project I did, who I worked for, my job duties and the like. I'm sure it exceeds 4 pages at this point. I also have a standard 2 page CV for "normal" purposes along with an Author's Bio (actually three version) and two or three versions of my Publications List. Different (potential) employers sometimes require different levels of information.

'm getting feedback from agents that my CV doesn't provide enough detail and could I amend it to emphasise the points that their particular clients are looking for.

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Probably what you're doing is what I used to do when writing a resume. (Took me a long time to unlearn what I was doing too.) I was way too wordy in what I would write.

A resume can't be written in a conversational style at all. It has to be terse and to-the-point, because it has to grab the attention and hold it for at least 15-30 seconds. If it can't be scanned quickly in that amount of time, it's probably not written in the correct manner.

Use "action words" as much as possible and highlight your accomplishments, not your duties. Use your cover letter to be personable. Don't use your resume for that.

I used to have to go through a lot of CVs.
I don't think that a single CV will cover every situation, you need to re-write it a bit to suit the job you're applying for.
Lots of people make the mistake of having one CV all their life and just adding qualifications to it as they move along.
Another mistake is to try and trim down a lengthy CV by getting rid of the useful bits.
A career history which just lists a load of job titles isn't really very useful without some description, especially nowadays where the guy who fills the stapler is a 'procurement manager' or whatever.
And really, please please leave out the bit where people feel obliged to write: Interests, walking, snooker and watching TV. It can ruin an otherwise good CV. You either look like a slob or a nutter. I once had a CV from a guy who flew planes for fun and there was a whole paragraph about the differnent planes he could fly. Just what we were looking for, a support technician who could use a harrier jump jet to get on site.

Two pages should be enough if backed up by a good covering letter, unless you are asked to provide something different.

I've just had a 3rd request to send back a more detailed CV that is OK to go onto 3 pages. All 3 agents have said the same thing- 2 pages if you've got only a couple of years experience, but if you've got 5+ years 3 pages is no problem. I have 3 CVs in my repetoire now, a 2 page, a 3 page with detailed employment history and a project focused one.

I'm seriously considering making my 'generic' CV 3 pages. I've got interviews with 3 agents tonight so I'll ask each one what they think and tell you what they say.

I have two versions of my CV
a 2 page and a 4 page
the first two pages are previous roles (bullets) certs, accreditations, and technologies I have used/supported (thats a page long on its own ranging from Dreamweaver to Data protect)

the 4 page version has 2 pages worth of job descriptions in more depth

I send the 2 page out when im using jobserve, the odd thing is most agencies come back to me asking for the full version

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